Photo by ettml from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. Although Torontoist has always been known for its sunny disposition and positive outlook on life, we have on a few occasions been less than effusive in our praise of the de facto real estate web search king, mls.ca. A poor (very, very poor) search function, crappy pictures (when available), and often useless information (telling us a property is in "C03" doesn't narrow it down very much)......

Ever since Torontoist wrote about the little house at St. Clair and Dufferin—known affectionately as "Toronto's Little House" (OK, why don't you think of a more creative name, smarty-pants?)—it's received an enormous amount of local and international attention. So much attention, in fact, that it was famously associated with a potential purchase by comic/dancing machine/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, although tiny houses are presumably much easier to give away than tiny dogs, so what was......

City sells "the McDonald's site" on Bloor for a fairly low price. However, Adam Vaughan insists there are upsides to the deal, such as being able to limit the height of the condo development that will take its place, because who would want tall buildings in the downtown core? Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. Although initial reports that he has "weeks to live" were apparently false, pancreatic cancer is still one of the deadliest......

Image: Cicada Design/Diamond + Schmitt Architects If you seem to be noticing Ryerson everywhere these days, you're not imagining it. Though it's been around since 1948 and been granting degrees since 1971, it's only during the last few years that the university has embarked on a massive expansion plan and branding campaign, drastically raising its physical and academic profile. Devoid of any real charm for decades (save for the 1852 partial façade of the......

The highly-respected British science journal Nature has called the Harper government's record on science and the environment "dismal." The PM was unavailable for comment yesterday, as he was in an emergency cabinet meeting called after Wednesday night's lunar eclipse to determine why the moon had disappeared. An independent panel of experts has come up with a number of recommendations to put Toronto on firmer fiscal ground, including tolls on highways, higher residential property taxes,......

Fire at Queen and Bathurst. Adios to Duke's, the Suspect Video outlet, and a bunch of other cool places. Check out Torontoist's coverage of the fire here and here and here––Queen West will be closed until next week. Home sales in Toronto drop significantly after land tax kicks in. Of course, one has to account for the fact that home sales in January, before the land tax was initiated, were significantly higher because people were......

Torontoist is one of fourteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Each Sunday, the editors of every site—from LAist to Londonist—choose their most interesting article, a list which is compiled into the network-wide feature Elsewhere In The Ist-A-Verse. Gothamist went to the scene of the Trump Soho construction collapse, which left one construction worker dead and others injured (an indirect culprit––Manhattan's hot real estate market, causing rushed construction jobs).Shanghaiist is confused by media reports as......

Unionized Toronto Star employees met at a downtown hotel yesterday and voted 96% in favour of a strike, or as the Star itself might say, "Star Employees Vote To Strike At Hotel." In another sign of potential economic trouble on the horizon, the benchmark TSX stock index dropped 623 points in two days. While most issues declined, analysts declared themselves bullish on several sectors, including rural real estate, bottled water, and firearms. The San......

Government fires head of Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Linda Keen. However, it is understandable, considering that Ms. Keen went public about government interference in her job and threats of being fired if she shut down the Chalk River reactor for being potentially unsafe. We mean, you can't say she wasn't warned that her bosses were mendacious assholes, is our point. Mitt Romney wins Michigan Republican primary. The former Massachusetts governor, thought to be made......

It’s often refreshing to hear an outsider’s point of view of your city. Sometimes they offer a new perspective on something so commonplace that you take it for granted. Or they can simply offer the expected platitudes. One writer, Olga Bonfiglio, who visited Toronto for the first time this holiday season, recently offered her take. She painted a very glowing picture of our city "as both a model and an inspiration for cities," and......

In Tuesday's news round-up, we told you that the plan to sell McDonald's the land at Bloor and Avenue had been halted until January 18. It's a good thing, too, as there are many questions that must be answered before the $3.38 million sale is finalized. Is it in the best interest for Toronto taxpayers? Is the sale a smart corrective action to the bungled 1971 lease agreement or another dumb move we'll regret for......

As the 20th Century dawned, Danforth Avenue was a muddy road that served as the northern boundary for the eastern portions of the city of Toronto. Between 1909, when the city made its first major annexation on the north side of Danforth, and the appearance of today's ads in 1921, the area we now know as "The Danforth" rapidly changed from a semi-isolated mix of farmland, villages and church reserves to a series of......

Premier Dalton McGuinty says that he is not prepared to follow Quebec's example and ban cell phone use while driving, in spite of studies showing that the practice is more dangerous than driving drunk. McGuinty said that "some people also distract themselves by drinking coffee, eating and applying makeup while driving" and he wouldn't know where to draw the line. Because if you can't stop one stupid and extremely dangerous practice, there's no point......

Torontoist is one of fourteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Once a week, the editors of each site—from LAist to Londonist—compile some of their most interesting posts into a brief blurb. It's Elsewhere In The Ist-A-Verse, and it appears, across the network, every Sunday. Austinist attended a town hall meeting about proposed noise ordinances that could undermine the city's future as the Live Music Capital of the World, and lamented the possible loss of......

Last week, we reported on a confrontation at College and McCaul Streets where a cyclist stabbed a motorist in the neck and face with a screwdriver. Police have arrested Yonan Inwia for assault, but give no further details. It's stories like this that need Rosie DiManno: "Yonan Inwia fell roughly to the ground, his hands reaching out in a Christ-like fashion to break the heavy fall. Little did Yonan know, today he would be......

City Council is going to be crazy today. We highly recommend you watch. (Click here for the online feed.) The chambers are going to be packed to capacity, with the overflow relegated to watching the proceedings on the screen in the rotunda. This does not happen often. It will be loud. It will be hectic. It will be exciting. Both the pro-tax and anti-tax groups are encouraging supporters to flood the meeting. This will......

Sold in April and refurbished this summer, Toronto’s smallest house is on the market again! Built in 1912 and occupied for twenty years by Toronto contractor Arthur Weedan and his wife, the baby bungalow was originally intended to be a driveway. Located at St. Clair and Dufferin, this little piece of prime real estate sold earlier this spring for a whopping $139,000. Given its spatial challenges—and its price tag—the 300-square foot house is a......

Do you wistfully dream of having a little corner of the city to call your own, but balk at the "Homes" section of the classifieds with its hyperbole-strewn ads and dead-eyed realtors? A new Google Maps-based website, housing123.com, tries to make things a little easier for potential home buyers across the GTA. The Canadian Real Estate Agency (CREA) operates a database known as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which allows realtors to view virtually......

In a truly spectacular exhibit of vitriol, readers of The Globe and Mail have weighed-in on an article concerning beleaguered TTC chairperson Adam Giambrone’s recent announcement about the impending cuts to city transit. (The emergency meeting of the commission is set for Friday, and possible means of accommodating the new budget restrictions include a 25-cent fare hike, and the closing of the Sheppard subway line.) Two scant hours after the article appeared online, the comments......

It seems that many people believe that the City of Toronto doesn't need to levy taxes in order to maintain a high level of City services. If only the City had its finances in order and cut back on spending, they say, then there would be no financial crunch. In response, Mayor Miller likes to point out how many cutbacks there indeed have been and how much contracting out is already taking place and,......

A month ago, Torontoist brought you "Great News About the Revue Cinema"—remember? We're not the type to leave our readers hanging, so we have an update! The ever-optimistic Revue Film Society released the following on July 9th: "Realtor Matt Mysak has a challenge for fellow real estate agents in the High Park area: Match my donation. Mysak has contributed $2,000 to the campaign to save the Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles Ave. 'I consider it......

Idiot ex-Green candidate complains that party refuses to support him just because he wrote how he thought the 9/11 attacks were "beautiful." The best part is that Kevin Potvin claims that this is proof that the Greens don't know how to handle a scandal. uh, they punted your butt off the party in about a day, jackass. Ontario voters will get the chance to vote in a referendum for mixed-member proportional government. If it wins,......

One of two winning lotto tickets in Wednesday's $38.7 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot has been turned in by twenty carpenters. That means there is one more winning ticket worth $19.7 million out there, people! It is time for the wacky Dave Barry-esque hijinks and capers to commence! I call dibs on conning an old lady out of her wheelchair by wearing an obviously fake moustache and pretending to be Ringo Starr. (Also amusing: the article......

Spring is in the air. Can you feel the love? Apparently while in town this past weekend for a speaking engagement at The Learning Annex Real Estate and Wealth Expo, The Donald also found time to take his message to the streets. Apparently the beef with Rosie is finished and The Donald has developed a new affinity for this star of The View. What a big softie! Find more here, and see some more......

When it launched in April of 2003 by real estate developer Christopher Bratty, Toronto-based men's magazine Toro was a critical darling. The glossy won two Folio Awards for design almost immediately, followed with four National Magazine Awards in 2004 (48 NMA nominations in total), then accolades for investigative journalism and fashion photography. Today, news arrives that Toro will immediately suspend publication, with the March 2007 issue scheduled for release on February 20 remaining undistributed. Publisher......

Today, the AGO was pleased to announce the donation of a Bernini sculpture by real estate developer Murray Frum. The sculpture, entitled Corpus, has an estimated value of $50-million. Arguably the most prolific sculptor of the 17th century, Bernini is most famous for his architectural and decorative work on the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. His Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Persephone, and David in the Galleria Borghese are some of......

Brad J. Lamb is not, to put it gently, universally loved. As head of his eponymous Brad J. Lamb Realty, he is a titan of Toronto's condo industry, the closest thing we have to a Trump -- right down to his new TV show that airs in February, Big City Broker. And, as titans tend to be, Lamb is a polarizing character; indeed, it seems that the only thing Lamb has in common with......

Gerrard Street just east of Carlaw is a poor part of town that can get a bit scrappy. But it sports the only mall for blocks in every direction, Gerrard Square, which was for years know as "the Scare." Now the Scare has gone upmarket, bringing in the usual cast of box stores and big franchises with more to come. The GS website claims, "Riverdale is changing and at its heart is Gerrard Square, a......

Breaking the law, breaking the law. We -ist folks love us some crime, and no misdemeanor is too petty for a post on any of our sites. This week, join us for a rogues' gallery of miscreants major, minor, and alleged. Gothamist gets us started with "Law & Order", muppet style. Oh, you know what isn't a crime? Taking pictures on the MTA. So, why are cops stopping photographers? In other Gotham crime, a......

Torontoist is somewhat obsessed with following the local real estate market, albeit a hobby done mostly in vain. While we would love to actually participate in buying and selling, our fascination with all things property is a pastime devoted to monitoring: who's purchasing where, how that house was flipped, and what the current price tag is for each neighbourhood. This week a familiar site appeared in the listings: The building which contains the quietly-trendy bar......